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H. E. HOUSEMAN. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, I9I9.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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ATTOR K H. E. HOUSEMAN. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHIINE. APPLICATION FILED Aueize, 1919.

1,359,249. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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HAROLD E. I-IOU AW, OF PHTLA'HELPHTA PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 STARE ARI) MACHINE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANZA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, M924),

Application filed August 26, 1919. Serial No. 319,936.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD E. Housm- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circular- Knitting hulachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying draw-- ings, which form a part of this specification.

In circular knitting machines, is is customary, before beginning to knit a stocking, to transfer to the needles, by hand, a previously knit fabric section; for example, a rib top. In certain machines, at the completion of the stocking, the stocking is automatically cast oif, the needles are leveled, and tne machine is stopped. It is then customary, either by hand or automatically, before or substantially coincidentally with the stoppage of the machine, to lift away from the needles the needle-latch guard-ring, or equivalent guard device or yarn feedcarrying attachment, so as to permit free access to the needles during the above-mentioned transferring operation. After the completion of the transferring operation, it is necessary, before starting the knitting of a new stocking, to again lower the needle guard ring. This is usually done by hand, before starting the machine; although mechanism has been provided whereby, after the machine starts, the first operation is to automatically depress the guard ring.

it is desired, by some users of knitting machines, to save the operative the extra movement required to manually lower the guard ring before the belt-shifting lever is operated to start the machine. The provision, therefore, of means to automatically lower the guard ring after the machine is started is desirable. On the other hand, the provision of means to lower the guard ring automatically is open to some objection. in that it involves some complication of the pattern mechanism, necessitates the provision on the pattern cylinder, pattern disk, pattern shaft or auxiliary pattern chain, where space is difficult to provide, of some governing element, requires an additional movement of such pattern device, and involves a delay in the beginning of the actual knitting to the extent of the time required to effect the lowering of the guard ring.

The main object of my invention is to lower the needle-latch guard-ring into operative position manually and yet avoid the .extra hand operation heretofore required vention is to avoid the use of an automatic latch for holding the guard ring down, so that, if the guard ring is depressed by hand while the machine is not running, it may be raised by hand without separate manipulation of aholding latch or will'lift itself automatically as soon as released by hand. Another object of the invention is to insure the lifting of the guard ring 00- incidentally, or practically so, with the stoppage of the machine, whether the machine is automatically stopped at the end of the knitting operation, or automatically stopped (by reason of some abnormal condition) during the knitting operation or stopped by hand, for any reason, during the knitting operation.

The specific embodiment of my invention herein shown is designed for application to a machine of the Houseman type, and reference may be made to certain atents of Harry A. Houseman and Harold Houseman, and particularly to the -Harry A. Houseman Patent, No. 1207,757, dated December 12, 1916, for information relative to the construction and operationof the parts not herein shown or deser'bed. It is believed, however, that a full understanding of the present invention can be derived from what is herein disclosed, inasmuch as the parts that immediately coact with my novel mechanism are illustrated and descr bed. It will be-understood that some modification of the present structure. within the skill of the mechanic, may be required to adapt my invention to a machine of a different type; and even as applied to a Houseman machine,

and of course as applied to other machines, the invention does not reside in the specific mechanisms, but is capable of embodlment in quite difierent forms. I In the drawings:' Figure 1 is a side ele-.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the structure of Fig.

1. Figs. 4-5 are front views, in difi'erent positions, of the automatic stop mechanism.

a is the rotar needle cylinder and b the pattern disk. he latter is turned step by step, at irregular but fixed intervals, as determined by a pattern chain, not shown. The pattern disk carries a variety of parts, not shown, which dictate the series of operations which are required to knit a complete stocking. The means for operating the pattern disk from the pattern chain and the means whereby the pattern disk governs the operation of the machine may be ascertained by reference to the Housemanpatents hereinbefore mentioned.

On the frame 0 of the machine is a bracket (Z. on which is pivoted the needle guard ring 6.. Slidable vertically on the machine frame is a rod f having at its upper end a lateral arm 9 which is connected, by link h, with a short arm 6 integral with, and extending beyond the pivot of, the needle guard ring 6. The lower end of the rod f adjustably engages one end of an intermediately pivoted lever i, which is held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of one end of a two-armed belt-shifting lever y pivoted on the machine frame.

The belt shifter is is secured to a rod m slidable on the machine frame. A spring n is coiled about the rod and bears at opposite ends against the machine frame and the belt shifter, and when free to act, shifts the belt shifter 7e and rod m from the position shown in Fig. 4 to'the position shown in Fig. 5; thus shifting the belt from the fixed driving pulley o to the adjacent loose pulley 0, thereby stopping the machine. During the operation of the machine, the belt shifter is held from being acted upon by the spring by means of a stop p. The stop is carried on a lever T, which, by means of a spring 8, is normally held in position to hold the stop ;0 in operative position.

Slidable vertically on a post t on the machine frame is a clutch-carrying frame it having ears affording bearings for a turnable shaft v. For the purpose of the present invention any convenient means of carry ing the shaft o may be utilized. To the lower end of shaft 1) is. secured an arm -20, which loosely embraces a pin 00 carried by lever r. To the upper end of shaft Q) is secured an arm y. which is in line of travel of a tappet a on the pattern disk 6.

The stop mechanism per 86, above de scribed, is no part of the present invention and any suitable stop mechanism may be substituted therefor. The machine may be stopped either automatically or manually. In the normal operation of the machine it is desired to stop it only at the completion of the stocking. At this time, the tappet 2 strikes the arm y and turns it, the shaft 11 and the armw into position to so swing the lever r as to withdraw the stop 12 out of line .shifter.

As the belt-shifter is actuatedby spring 'n, a projection 12 on the belt-shifter carries lever with it, lever continuing to move, after the belt-shifter stops, until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 5.

In the position shown in F i 5, lever has swung away from lever 2'. hereupon a spring 14, which extends between the arm 6 of the needle guard ring'e and a fixed point on the machine frame, lifts the needle guard ring. In this operation, the lever i, through the rod f, arm 9 and link it, follows up the lever j, so as to'be in position to be engaged thereby, inthe return movement of the lever j, as will now be described.

When it is desired to restart the machine, the belt-shifting lever j is moved from the position shown in' Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4. In the first and larger part of this movement it does not actuate the beltshifter is, but it swings into position to depress the free end of lever z', thereby, through rod 7, arm 9 and link h, depressing the needle guard ring into operative position before the machine starts. As it completes its movement it engages the projection 12, thereby moving the belt-shifter into position to shift the belt to the driving pulley. In this movement the lever r is shifted laterally by the engagement of a cam face of the belt shifter with the stop 12, the lever r immediately returning to its normal position as soon as the movement of the beltshifter is completed, the stop p thereby moving into locking position.

It will thus be seen that while the needle guard ring is swung down by manual means. early one operation on the part of the operator is required. That is, instead of swinging down the guard device by one movement and starting the machine by another movement, thus requiring the separate manipulation of two differently located and independent parts, both operations are effected by, a single movement of one part, namely, the belt-shifting lever. All that is done other than what is necessary to start the machine is to give the belt-shifting lever a longer movement. The advantages of this mode of operation over an automatic depression of the guard ring after the machine is manually started are that the guard ring is in operative position before the ma chine starts and is not brought into operaguard ring, if lowered, will immediately lift as soon as the hand is removed from the guard ring.

If the machine is'stopped manually during the knitting operation, or if it is stopped automatically before or at the conclusion of the knitting operation, the same opera-i tion effects the raising of the ard ring. The lifting of the guard ring is therefore not dependent on the pattern mechanism or on the completion of a stocking.

By the term guard ring I mean to include, as an equivalent, any like contrivance for guarding needle latches, carrying yarn.

feeds, casting off the fabric, or "clamping and cutting the yarn, or which is movable into different positions relatively to the needles during the operation of the machine and during the transfer operation while'the machine is at rest.

Having now fully described my invention, a

what I claim and desire to ters Patent is- 1. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, manuallyoperable mechanism to start the machine, and means controlling the movement of the guard ring toward the needles connected with and operable by the manually-operable mechanism. I

2. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, means .to move, the guard ring toward the needles, and mechanism to sta'rt'the machine, said protect by Letmechanism including .a manually-operated contrivance adapted. in its movement, to first effect the operation of the guard ring actuating means and then effect the starting of the machine.

In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, manually ward the needles.

operable mechanism to start the machine,

and means connected with and controllable. by the manually operable mechanism to move the guard ring toward the needles before the machine starts.

4. In a circular knittin machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, automatic stopping mechanism, means to automatically move the guard ring away from the needles upon the stoppage of the machine, a manually operablecontrivance to start'the ma chine, and means controlled by'said contrivance to move the guard ring toward the needles, before the machine starts.

5. Ina circular knitting machine, in com bination, needles, a guard ring, manually operable machine starting and stopping mechanism, and means'controlling the movement of the guard ring toward. and from' the needles connected with and operable by the manually operable machine starting'and stopping mechanism.

6. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, a spring adapted to retract the guard ring from the needles, manually-operable mechanism tostart the 1nachine,,and, connections between the guard ring and the manually-operable starting mechanism operable by 'the latter to effect the advance of the guard ring toward the needles.

7. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a guard ring, a spring adapted to retract the ard ring from the needles, said guard ring being manually movable toward the needles and freely retractable by thespring when the machine is at rest, machine starting mechanism and connections between the guard ring and the startingmechanism operable by the latter to effect the advance of the guard ring to- 8. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, machine starting mechanism, a guard ring, means to move the guard ring toward the needles, and a manuallyoperable lever adapted in a single movement to successively first so actuate said guard ring actuating means and then said starting mechanism.

9., In a circular knitting machine, in combination, needles, a pivoted guard ring, a spring tending to l1ft the guard ring, machine startiug mechanism, two coaetmg levers, connections between one of said levers and the guard ring adapted to be operated by said lever to lower the guard ring, the other of said levers adapted, when the ma chine is at rest, to be'lnoved to first actuate the first lever and then actuate the machine starting mechanism.

10. Ina circular knitting machine, in combnation, needles, a guard ring adapted to be raised and lowered, a belt for driving the machine, a belt shifter adapted to be operated to move the driving helt into and out of operative relation with the machine, a manually operable contrivance, connections between the manuall; operative contrirance and the belt shifter, and independent connections between the manually ooerahle centrivance and the guard ring, guard ring may be manually actuated independently oi the machine driving means and the mechanism operable thereby.

11. in a circular knitting machine,in comhination, needles, a guard ring, machine starting and stopping mechanism manually operable in one direction to start the machine and in the other direction to stop t-hc machine, pattern mechanism, devices controlled by the pattern in hanism to automatically operate the star ng and stopging mechanism in the direction to stop the machine, and means controlling the movement of the guard ring toward and from the needles connected with and operable directly by the stopping and starting mechanism to eft'ecta movement of the guard ring away from the needles in the automatic stoppage of? the machine and to effect a movement of the ring toward the needles in the ma cl :rting of the machine.

' circular knitting machine, in comion, needles, a guard ring, machine whereby the machine, said mechanism include controllable by said contrivanee to effect the movement of the guard ring toward the nee dles upon the starting of the machine and away from the needles upon the stopping of the machine.

13. hination, needles, a guard ring, manuallyoperahle mechanism to start the machine, and means controlling the movement of the guard ring into operative relation with the needles connected with and operable by manually-operable mechanism.

14. in a circular knitting machine, in com oinatioi'i, needles, a guard ring, means to move the guard ring into operative relation With the needles, and mechanisi: to start the a manually-operated contrivance adapted, in its movement, to first effect the specified operation of the guard ring actuating means and then ei'lect the starting of the machine.

in testimony of Which invention H have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 21st day of August, 1919.

HARQLD 'HO llSlElllAhl n a circular knitting machine, in comthe 

